Surf City residents could see their first water rate hikes in over five years come on Tuesday night, where city leaders are set to discuss an increase that could double their water bills.
Water rate hikes have faced multiple cities and water boards throughout the county in recent months, with local leaders arguing they need more money to deal with inflation and a rapidly aging infrastructure to ensure nothing breaks down.
[Read: Some South OC Residents’ Water Rates Double]
Alvin Papa, the city’s deputy director of public works highlighted over $144 million of upgrades they need to make to the city’s water infrastructure over the next few years in a January presentation.
“This is a lot of infrastructure,” Papa said. “Everything’s coming to a head at the same time.”
If the city doesn’t raise rates, staff say their funds for the water district will be over $20 million in debt by the end of the decade.
[Read: Surf City Looks to Join Other OC Cities Hiking Water Rates]
To avoid going into debt, they’re laying out a plan for repeated increases on the water and sewer rates over the next five years, which are set to more than double sewer rates in many cases and would increase resident’s standard water rates by around 40% in many cases.
Even with the raises, the city will still be far below the most expensive water rates in the county according to a presentation prepared by city staff, which highlighted Westminster’s $34 wastewater rate compared to Huntington Beach’s proposed rate of just over $12 for wastewater.
To review the presentation detailing the raises, click here.
But many residents are questioning why the increasing infrastructure costs should come out of their pockets, with over 400 residents sending letters to the city council telling them to find another way.
“The safety and cleanliness of our water supply is incredibly important,” wrote Scott and Angela Cheseboro in a letter to the council.
“But the city is asking residents to accept an approximately 40% increase in the water rates and an over 100% increase in the wastewater rates,” they continued. “I share the concern of other residents that this is simply not an appropriate increase in the current financial climate.”
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @NBiesiada.
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